Folding door and support therefor



June 20, 1944.

FOLDING DOOR AND SUPPORT THEREFOR Filed Jan. 28, 1944 y FIE.1. 2 o o *5 l/ $525174 FIG. 2. f

INVENTOR: R

c. l. AUTEN 2,351,656

Patented June 20, 1944 a FOLDING DOOR AND sUrPoR'r THEREFOR Claude I. Auten, Birmingham, Ala., assignor to Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, a corporation of Tennessee Application January 28, 1944, Serial N... 520,117

6 Claims.

another by alternate and intermediate hinge pintles, and means for maintaining the alternate pintles laterally oifset from the intermediate pintles so as to prevent the pivotal connections from assuming dead center alignment, whereby an endwise force on the door when in closed position will collapse or fold the several leaves to anopen position.

The above and related features of the invention will be more fully apparent from a consideration of the'following specification and appended claims when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a horizontal section illustrating one door construction embodying the present invention, wherein the leaves of the door are in collapsed or open position.

Figure 2 is a similar horizontal section showing the leaves in expanded or closed position.

Figure 3 is afragmentary front elevation of Figure 2. V l o Figure 4 is an enlarged vertical section on lin IV--IV of Figure 3. a

Figure 5 is'a fragmentary detail section on line VV of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a view of a modified detail of construction for the lower portion of the door.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, the improved door of the present invention comprises a plurality of leaves or panels H) which may conveniently be made of sheet metal or wood. The several leaves are hingedly connected to one another along their adjacent upright edges, and the hinge pintles are arranged in combination with guiding and supporting elements hereinafter more fully described, in such a. way that the several hinge pintles are prevented from being brought into dead center alignment so that when an endwise force is applied to one end of the closed door, the hinged leaves will be collapsed from the position shown in Figure 2, to that shown in Figure 1.

In the construction illustrated, the plurality of alternate pintles l2 are supported by overhead hanger members [4 carrying rollers l6 which traverse guide tracks I 8 and 20 supported by flanges 22 and 24 of overhead brackets 26 and 28. The inner edges of the flanges 22 and 24 define a straight guide groove 30 which compels the'alternate pintles l2, when moved, to travel in a substantially straight line. Located between adjacent pairs of the alternate pintles l2 are intermediate pintles I2. These intermediate pintles at their upper ends are disposed outside or beyond the upright wall 26 of the supporting bracket 26. In some cases the door will be solely supported and guided from overhead. In such cases the bottom of the door will just about clear the floor line F, as indicated in Figure 6. This is adesirable arrangement when the door is used between rooms.- In other instances, a lower guide bracket 32 will be provided, formed with a groove 34, for receiving and guiding the lower extremities of the alternate hinge pintles l2. This guide bracket will be formed with an outwardly and downwardly beveled lip 36,; for guiding engagement with the lower extremities of the pintles I2 With the parts constructed and arranged as described, it will be apparent that either extreme pintle l2 may be permanently pivoted to a suitable stationary bracket or the like, and that when an endwise force is applied to the opposite edge of the door, the pintles l2 traveling with the hangers l4 will move in a straight line along the guide groove 30. Thus the plurality of individual leaves will partake of a swinging movement about said pintles l2, the leaves also pivoting about the intermediate pintles I2 with the result that the door will be thus collapsed to the position of Figure 1, in which the entire door occupies a very small area betwegn the door framing members or jambs 38-3 In the construction illustrated and described, it will be apparent that the cooperative relation between the hinge pintles l2 and I2 and their supporting and guiding means, is such that said pintles cannot be moved to a dead center position wherein they are all in a straight line. In other words, the arrangement is such that the pintles l2 and I2 when the door is in closed position, are separated laterally, for example, for a distance equal to that shown at X in Figure 4. Thus an endwise push on the door will be resolved in forces which will collapse the door to the position of Figure 1.

It will be rearily understood that the widths of the individual leaves ID of the door may be of desired dimensions. Thus various combinations and numbers of leaves can be used to provide closures for a large variety of door openings, and any size opening may be closed with a single door of the character described or with a multiple combination of such doors. One edge of the door may be either temporarily or permanently attached to one jamb of the opening, and if two doors are used, the opposite edges thereof may be temporarily or permanently attached to the jambs of the opening. When the two doors are in, closed position, their abutting edges may be temporarily. secured I together, with various k own types of commercial hardware.

.#The door of the present invention is an improvement over conventional swinging doors, since it requires les space for operation, it bein apparent that the improved door will occupy a floor area or width dimension equal to the maximum width of one of the leaves D, and the widths of a leaf can be so chosen that it will be no greater, and in many cases, less, than the width of the door jamb, this minimum-width being pic-.

torially illustrated in Figure 1. Common swinging doors heretofore generally used between when open, closed, or being operated, and the maximum width that the door will occupy is equal to the width of the door opening times the width of one of the leaves of the door. Thus the invention makes available appreciable floor area for useful purposes, which is not normally usable in the case of conventional swinging doors. The described door is adapted for use in place of conventional doors between rooms in buildings, and i 2.130 well suited .for use in kitchen cabinets, lockers, and the like. The door construction is of particular advantage when used in kitchen cabinets placed above kitchen sinks and working shelves, since it eliminates the danger of bumping heads on projecting doors of the common swinging type.

Various modifications in the structure and arrangement herein illustrated, may be madewithout departure from the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A folding door comprising a plurality of leaves serially connected to one another by alternate and intermediate hinge pintles, and means for maintaining the alternate pintles in line and laterally oifset from the intermediate pintles so that an endwise force on the closed door will fold the several leaves to the collapsed open position.

2. A folding door comprising a plurality of leaves serially connected to one another along their upright edges by alternate and intermediate hinge pintles, overhead movable members supporting said alternate pintles, aguide traversed by the movable members, and means for maintaining the alternate pintles laterally offset from the intermediate pintles so that an endwise force on the closed door will fold the several leaves to the collapsed open position.

3. A folding door comprising a plurality of leaves serially and pivotally connected with one another along their adjacent edges, means preventing the pivotal connections from assuming dead center alignment, and means supporting said leaves with freedom for collapsing, closing, and expanding opening movement.

l. A folding door comprising a plurality of leaves serially and pivotally connected with one another along their adjacent edges, means preventing the pivotal connections from assuming dead center alignment, overhead supporting means comprising movable hanger elementsfor said leaves, and overhead guide tracks traversed by. said elements.

5. A folding door comprising a plurality of leaves serially and pivotally connected with one another alongtheir adjacent dges'means preventing the pivotal connections from assuming dead center alignment so that an endwise force on the closed door will fold the several leavesto collapsed open position, rolling hangers from which saidleaves are'suspended, and an overhead guideway supporting said rolling hangers.

6. A folding door comprising a plurality of leaves serially and pivotally connected with one another along their adjacent edges, means preventing the pivotal connection from assuming dead center alignment, overhead supporting means comprising movable hanger elements for said leaves, overhead guide tracks traversed by said elements, the pivotal connections being extended below the bottoms of said leaves, and a bottom guide for coaction with said extended connections.

CLAUDE I. AUTEli 

